I Love the Zoo,  And You
by DryadSpeaks
Summary: Spinoff from Chapter 29 of "All My Dreams" and Chapter 12 of "The Smile on Your Face."  Artie and Quinn go to the zoo.


The zoo was a place both Artie and Quinn loved.

Artie used to visit the zoo with his family at least once a month. It was his favourite thing to do, and every time he left, he'd already be looking forward to the next time. Their trips had become less frequent the past couple of years, because everyone was so busy, but his family still went at least once every three months. It was fun for everyone.

Quinn's family went less often, but it was still an activity everyone did together, and she had a lot fond memories about it. She remembered walking through the park-like area, holding hands with her dad, while her sister held on to her mother's hand. They would stop at the petting zoo, and she would feed the goats. Sometimes they had baby deer and other animals that you didn't usually get to pet in there, and she always loved that the most. It was like a new adventure every time. Even when she got older, she still loved feeding the animals in the petting zoo.

Neither of them could remember who's idea it was to go together, but they both knew that they wanted to, so they did.

It was a crisp, sunny fall day. Perfect for strolling casually around looking at everything. Their first stop was the panda enclosure, because Quinn had heard that the zoo had acquired a new one, and she just had to check it out. What she didn't know was that it was actually a baby, which Artie promptly declared "the most adorable thing" he'd ever seen.

Artie really wanted (he said needed, but she knew it was more of a want and less of a need) to see the hippos next, but Quinn convinced him that they should follow the various enclosures around, or they might miss something.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to be a hippo," Artie mused, and then promptly glanced at Quinn, hoping she hadn't heard him.

But, of course, she had.

"A hippo? Where did that come from? Hippos are so cute."

"Are you saying I'm not cute enough to be a hippo?" he asked, pretending to be outraged.

"...how can you even compare yourself to a hippo? A hippo is cute. You're cute. But it's not the same kind of cute."

Artie laughed. Her logic might not have made sense to some people, but it made sense to him, and he loved it.

And he loved her. He wanted to tell her, but he was just so nervous. What if she didn't feel the same way? He'd been practicing by saying it to his pillow in the safety of his room...but his pillow wasn't Quinn. What if she rejected him?

Quinn couldn't believe how cute that was. Artie wondered what it would be like to be a hippo. Where did he come up with these things? She wasn't about to tell him that she had wondered things like that before too. That would probably come up in conversation eventually...somewhere. Things like that always managed to make it to the surface, especially when she was with Artie. She knew he wouldn't judge her, regardless of what she said, and she hoped that he knew she felt the same towards him.

Eventually they made it to the petting zoo, and Quinn was overjoyed to see that they had three baby goats, two baby deer, and a baby elk! She'd never been there when they had a baby elk before...it was definitely something she had to check out.

Artie seemed kind of reluctant to enter the enclosure, stating that he was worried he might run over one of the ducks, or maybe one of the baby goats. He said he'd wait outside the fence, that he was the perfect height to peek through the wide slats and take pictures of her feeding the baby animals, but she wouldn't hear of it. After a brief discussion with the person manning the gate, the both entered together, with her pushing his chair and him shooing away anything he thought might get to close to his wheels.

After about five minutes, he had two baby goats in his lap, and Quinn had stolen his camera, snapping a picture of him with his newfound friends.

"That's one for Facebook," she said, handing the camera back to him.

At that moment, the baby elk came up behind her, and placed its head on her shoulder. She hadn't been that close to it, and jumped slightly when she realized it was that big. The person in charge came and shooed it away, and they had one last cuddle with the goats before heading out.

"Quinn...thank you, that was really great. I haven't been in there in a long time."

She just smiled, content with the fact that he was happy.

They went around looking at all the other things the zoo had to offer for another hour or so, before heading into the big main building, where they kept the reptiles, nocturnal animals, and fish.

Quinn loved the fish. She loved the colours, the way they moved, and that there were so many different kinds. The zoo had hundreds of different species of fish, in big tanks with benches in front of them that you could sit on and just watch them swim.

After Artie finished his very intense staredown with a bushbaby in the nocturnal animals hall, she ushered him into the aquarium section. They looked around a bit, before she saw what she was looking for; the giant tank full of kissing gouramis.

She took control of Artie's chair, and headed over to them.

"You have to see these. They're my favourite in this part."

Artie, slightly shocked at the fact that she had grabbed him and wheeled him away from the sea cucumbers he was looking at, looked up at the sign.

"Kissing gouramis? These are your favourites?" he asked.

"Yes. Look at them. They're so beautiful...and they're kissing!" (she was unaware of the fact that this "kissing" was frequently a display of aggression, not love)

At this point, Artie wondered if she had an ulterior motive in bringing him to this tank. It was in a corner, and it was kind of dark...the only light coming from within the tank full of light pink fish with slightly protruding lips.

Quinn had one of those grins on her face that she got when she was up to something. He wondered if maybe now would be a good time to pull out the "L Card," but decided she probably had something planned, and he didn't want to ruin that for her.

She sat down on the bench beside his chair, and took his hand.

His mind was racing. What was she doing? Was she going to say something? Do something? Say and then do something? What?

She leaned in, so that her face was right next to his, and whispered something into his ear.

"Artie...I love you."

She loved him? Did she just say she loved him?

Before he could react, she kissed him.

After a bit, she pulled back, and their eyes met.

"I love you too."

She smiled, and moved back in for another kiss.

At that point, she noticed that there was a man lurking around behind them, so she thought it best to end their little display of public affection. She sat back on the bench, still holding his hand.

"You don't think that I said that just because you did, do you?" Artie asked.

How could he think that she'd think that?

"No, of course not. I know you're not like that."

"Quinn, I've been practicing saying that to you all week. Every time I thought it was the right time, I realized it actually wasn't. I was going to do it today...and you beat me to it."

She smiled.

"You...you've been practicing?"

Artie looked slightly sheepish.

"Let's just say there's a pillow in my room I now affectionately call Quinn."

She grinned, and he went bright red, realizing what that might have sounded like.

"No, no! I've just been telling the pillow that I loved it...that's all! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

By this point, she was laughing out loud. Her mind wouldn't even have gone there if he hadn't brought it up. Images of Artie talking dirty to his pillow flashed through her mind, and then it was her turn to go bright red.

So, there they sat at the zoo. Artie bright red because he thought there had been some sort of sexual innuendo with his pillow, and Quinn bright red because she couldn't get the image of Artie saying naughty things to that pillow out of her head. What a pair they were.

After a few more minutes, they decided they should probably head home. Quinn had driven them, and as she got Artie's chair in the back of her car, she couldn't help but marvel at the time they'd had together. She couldn't believe she'd found the nerve to tell him she loved him AND kiss him in public like that.

And Artie...

Well, he couldn't believe he'd told her he practiced on a pillow because he was too afraid to tell the real Quinn he loved her. Good thing he'd made it over that hurdle...things could only go up from there, right?

**A/N: If you're not familiar with kissing gouramis, Google them so you have an idea of what they look like (if that sort of thing interests you...).**

**I was traumatized in a petting zoo by two baby elk once...they were adorable, but ridiculously pushy and trying to steal the food away from everyone. All I wanted to do was play with the baby goats, and they just wouldn't let that happen! Hahaha**

**These oneshots are way too much fun to write...time-permitting, I am going to continue to flood the Quartie system for the rest of the week...and probably beyond.**

**Remember...if there are any chapters of either of my journal stories ("All My Dreams" and "The Smile on Your Face") that you'd like to see expanded...you need to tell me! I am not psychic, and left to my own devices I'm just going to write and write and write!**


End file.
